What we could verify (checked 2 October 2026)
- Events, timing, maximums, goals, administrators and retest rules come from USAFA’s Instructions to Pre-candidates (1 March 2023), and match the Class of 2026 Instructions to Candidates. We found no newer full instructions document; your candidate kit has the current one.
- USAFA’s physical requirements page asks candidates to submit video of the push-up and pull-up (or flexed-arm hang) events. The page blocked our tools, so we confirmed this through search results only.
- AFMAN 36-2905 lists the Academy among accessions that follow their own fitness program and standards ¶6.1.2; it doesn’t govern the CFA.
What the CFA Is (and Isn't)
The Candidate Fitness Assessment is the admissions fitness test shared by the service academies: satisfactory completion is a requirement for admission to the Air Force, Military, Naval and Merchant Marine Academies. USAFA says the results are “very important in the overall assessment” of your file, and that a low overall score or a poor score in one event may be disqualifying.
It is not the Air Force PT test and not the ROTC scholarship PFA. High school applicants to USAFA take the CFA; ROTC scholarship applicants take the AFROTC PFA; enlistees prepare for BMT; and officer trainees for OTS. Everyone meets the operational PFRA at their first duty station ¶6.1.1.
The Six Events: Maximums and Goals
| Event (in order) | Max: men / women | Goal: men / women |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kneeling basketball throw (3 throws in 2 min) | 102 ft / 66 ft | 68 ft / 42 ft |
| 2. Cadence pull-ups, 2 min (women may do the flexed-arm hang) | 18 / 7 pull-ups · hang 39 s | 13 / 4 pull-ups · hang 28 s |
| 3. Shuttle run (best of 2 trials) | 7.8 s / 8.6 s | 8.7 s / 9.6 s |
| 4. Modified sit-ups (2 min) | 95 / 95 | 81 / 80 |
| 5. Push-ups (2 min) | 75 / 50 | 61 / 41 |
| 6. 1-mile run | 5:20 / 6:00 | 6:31 / 7:38 |
Source: USAFA Instructions to Pre-candidates (1 Mar 2023), Tables 1 and 2. “Max” is the 100-point level for the event; raw scores convert to 0-100 scale scores. “Goal” is what USAFA calls “comparable to average candidate performance” and asks you to meet or exceed. The flexed-arm hang is for women who can’t do one correct pull-up, and one pull-up scores higher than any length of hang.
Old forum numbers like “2 pull-ups and a 7:45 mile” are not USAFA’s published targets. The goals above are, and maxing an event (a 102-foot throw, 18 pull-ups, a 5:20 mile) earns its full 100 points; there’s no credit for going past it.
Why the Sequence Is the Hard Part
| Event | Start | Time | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basketball throw | 0 min | 2 min | 3 min |
| Pull-ups or flexed-arm hang | 5 min | 2 min | 3 min |
| Shuttle run | 10 min | 2 min | 3 min |
| Modified sit-ups | 15 min | 2 min | 3 min |
| Push-ups | 20 min | 2 min | 8 min |
| 1-mile run | 30 min | Until completed | — |
Source: USAFA Instructions to Pre-candidates (1 Mar 2023). The order can’t be changed, and candidates may not warm up, rest or practice outside the allotted times. USAFA notes that after the first five events it is “doubtful a candidate will score his/her personal best on the one-mile run”, and its scoring standards take that into account.
Preparation advice (ours, not USAFA’s):
- Rehearse the full sequence several times before the official test, with the exact order and rests. USAFA encourages practice tests.
- Practice the basketball throw. It is a technique event (kneeling, overhand, one hand) that most athletes have never trained.
- Bank the strength events efficiently. The pacing in our push-up guide applies to the 2-minute version, and burning to failure on sit-ups costs you on the mile.
- Train the mile like a race: the pacing and interval structure in our run guide scales down to one mile.
Administration Rules That Trip People Up
- The examiner must be a PE-certified teacher, athletic coach, AFJROTC instructor, service academy liaison officer, a non-family member who is in the military, or another service academy representative. You arrange the examiner and the facility.
- The official score must come from a single test administration, and you can’t skip an event. The Class of 2026 instructions also had the examiner enter scores online within 48 hours of the test.
- If you pass your first CFA, USAFA won’t accept additional scores. Fail it and you’ll be asked to retest; two failing tests close your file, as does a failing first attempt submitted after 31 January.
- A CFA taken for West Point, the Naval Academy or a summer seminar can be sent to USAFA.
- Don’t test if you are ill, recently injured, or in bad weather; reschedule if your deadline allows.
Source: USAFA Instructions to Pre-candidates (1 Mar 2023).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Candidate Fitness Assessment?+
The CFA is the fitness test the service academies use to judge whether a candidate can handle their physical programs. Satisfactory completion is an admission requirement for the Air Force, Military, Naval and Merchant Marine Academies. It has six events given back to back with fixed start, finish and rest times (USAFA Instructions to Pre-candidates, 1 Mar 2023).
What are the six CFA events?+
In order: the kneeling basketball throw, cadence pull-ups (or the flexed-arm hang, the women's option for those who can't do one correct pull-up), the shuttle run, modified sit-ups, push-ups, and the 1-mile run. The first five events each get 2 minutes of testing time; the mile starts at the 30-minute mark (USAFA Instructions to Pre-candidates, 1 Mar 2023).
What CFA score do you need for the Air Force Academy?+
USAFA publishes maximum scores and goals rather than a pass mark. Its instructions say a low overall score or a poor score in an individual event may be disqualifying, and they ask candidates to meet or exceed the goals, which are comparable to average candidate performance: for men, a 68-foot throw, 13 pull-ups, an 8.7-second shuttle, 81 sit-ups, 61 push-ups and a 6:31 mile; for women, 42 feet, 4 pull-ups or a 28-second hang, 9.6 seconds, 80 sit-ups, 41 push-ups and a 7:38 mile (USAFA Instructions to Pre-candidates, 1 Mar 2023).
What are the maximum CFA scores?+
The 100-point level for each event is: basketball throw 102 feet for men and 66 feet for women; pull-ups 18 and 7 (flexed-arm hang 39 seconds); shuttle run 7.8 and 8.6 seconds; modified sit-ups 95 for both; push-ups 75 and 50; and the mile in 5:20 and 6:00 (USAFA Instructions to Pre-candidates, 1 Mar 2023). Raw scores are converted to 0-100 scale scores per event.
Who administers the CFA?+
A PE-certified teacher, athletic coach, AFJROTC instructor, service academy liaison officer, a non-family member who is in the military, or another service academy representative. Service members may use an active duty commissioned or noncommissioned officer, or the NCOIC of their base gym. You arrange the examiner and the facility (USAFA Instructions to Pre-candidates, 1 Mar 2023).
Can you retake the CFA?+
Only if you fail. If you pass your first CFA, USAFA won't accept additional scores. If you fail it, you'll be asked to take it a second time, and if both are failing your file is closed. A failing first attempt submitted after 31 January also closes your file (USAFA Instructions to Pre-candidates, 1 Mar 2023). Make your first official attempt your best one.
Is the CFA the same as the Air Force PT test?+
No. The CFA is an admissions test with six events, including a basketball throw and a shuttle run. The PFRA is the operational Air Force test (2-mile run or HAMR, waist-to-height ratio, push-ups and a core event) under AFMAN 36-2905. Academy cadets follow the Academy's own fitness program and standards (AFMAN 36-2905 para. 6.1.2), and your first official PFRA comes at your first duty station after graduation (para. 6.1.1).
More in Other Tests & Pipelines
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